Question: Solve the equation. $j-5 =3.4$ $j=$
Explanation: Let's add to get $j$ by itself. $\begin{aligned}j-5 &=3.4 \\ \\ j- 5 {+5}&= 3.4{+5}~~~~~~~~~~~{\text{add }5} \text{ to each side to get } j \text{ by itself }\\ \\ j-\cancel{ 5} {{+}\cancel{{5}}}&= 3.4{+5}\\ \\ j &=3.4{+5}\end{aligned}$ The answer: $j={8.4}$ Let's check to make sure. $\begin{aligned} j-5 &=3.4\\\\ {8.4}-5 &\stackrel{?}{=} 3.4 \\\\ 3.4 &= 3.4 ~~~~~~~~~~\text{Yes!} \end{aligned}$